The Last Man on the Mountain
The Death of an American Adventurer on K2
By Jennifer Jordan
While writing her first novel at base camp, nearly 12,000 feet below K2′s 28,250-foot summit, Jennifer Jordan took a short hike and literally stumbled upon the hero of her second book, The Last Man on the Mountain.
Her horror at discovering the avalanche-tossed skeleton of rich American adventurer Dudley Wolf turned to fascination when she delved into the story of K2′s first climbing fatality and the journey of the expedition team that occupied the mountain during the summer of 1939.
Jordan’s new book documents the trials of early high-alpine mountaineering while bringing Wolfe’s story to life with reconstructions based on details culled from letters, documented interviews, archived material from the American Alpine Club, conversations with Dudley’s remaining relatives, and advice from a handful of climbing experts.
Though the few women characters in the story barely play supporting roles to the men who were directly involved, Jordan’s own discovery of the hero and her researched retelling of history give her voice a place among these early pioneers. W. W. Norton & Company, 2010; $27
